Liberal Candidate Gordon Stamp-Vincent

HOUSTON — Skeena-Bulkley Valley Liberal candidate Gordon Stamp-Vincent stormed out of the all candidates forum at the Community Hall in Houston Monday night shortly after the candidates had finished their opening remarks. The political rookie from Prince Rupert used his rebuttal card after a media question to Green Party candidate Phil Brienese to demand an apology from Conservative Mike Scott for allegations of Liberal corruption.

Rather than rebutting the question, addressing the issues, and promoting Liberal ideas and policies, Stamp-Vincent took his glove, bat and ball and went home.

"I will have an apology, sir," Stamp Vincent said handing Scott the microphone. Debate moderator Arnold Amonson intervened before Scott could reply but after the very next question, Scott used his rebuttal card to respond. Scott requested a show of hands from the audience of how many people did not think the Liberal Party is corrupt to which only a few people responded. "Are you going to demand an apology from all of these people too, Mr. Stamp-Vincent," Scott asked.

Bwahahaha! In uber-conservative, mining/logging/right-wing Houston B.C., Stamp-Vincent got schooled in the fine art of playing to the crowd.

Stamp-Vincent immediately stood up and left the hall saying: "I do not have to take that, certainly not from you, sir."

But you do need to take it, Gordo. You and the rest of the Liberal party need it badly.

All of the other candidates were dismayed by the disrespect the display represented to Houston voters. "I'm surprised and disappointed, and shocked and awed and dismayed and I really feel the pain of Houstonians everywhere " said NDP-incumbent Nathan Cullen.

Shuttup, Nathan. If you were on the receiving end of the big thumbs down, you would have wet your pants and ran home too.

On Tuesday, Stamp-Vincent stood by his behaviour. "I felt I had to make more than a statement, I had to take an action," he said. "I've knocked on over a thousand doors and most of the people I've talked to are disgusted with the negative campaigning."

So Gordo, what do they think of the Liberals latest attack ads? A little bit of a double standard, hmmmm? Serves you right for aligning yourself with the party of hypocrisy and self-righteous entitlement.

During closing remarks, Scott used part of his two minutes to assure the audience that his corruption allegations were directed at the Liberal Party and not at Stamp-Vincent personally. "I hope you all know that," Scott said. "I hope [Stamp-Vincent] knows that."

Good on ya, Mike. Anyone with an ounce of sense knows what you meant. Those without any sense run home and cry.

Stamp-Vincent, however, was not appeased. "[The accusation] was directed at Liberals, I'm a Liberal as are many other honest Canadians," he said. "It's a tactic to broadly smear a group based on the actions of four people. "Sorry, that's not acceptable and there's a little more explaining to be done."

There is plenty of explaining to do, Gordo, but it is the Liberal Party that has to do it. And anyone who throws his hat into the ring to run as a Liberal needs to realize that.

If 6,000 voters in the Skeena-Bulkley Valley riding vote for this whiny cry-baby, then I will eat the newspaper article on which this story is printed*.

And I will post the pictures on this blog**.

*Temujin may or may not actually eat the newspaper article on which this story is printed.